1.27.2010

LIFE tile

we are officially homeowners!

i've kept this one close to my chest because i SO didn't want to jinx the process. house hunting is a PAIN IN THE ASS and 3 months of frustration have finally paid off.

all of this started last october when we were pre-approved for a loan and took care of niggling credit issues (like when ant's credit report had 2 other random SSNs attached to it, belonging to two totally different people, bringing down his score). we met with a realtor (affectionately known to the two of us as 'fuzzy face') and off we ran!

house hunting is beyond fun in the beginning: you're going into empty homes full of possibilities and echoes, and lived-in homes, cluttered or clean, seeing how people live, peeking into closets and bathrooms and garages.

and then... it starts to quickly roll downhill. empty homes that smell of mold - don't touch the brown stuff growing all over the counters! homes with 50 billion pairs of shoes and water jugs and open containers of food and 200 lbs. of dog hair and squatters about to jump out at you from every darkened closet and pried open attic space. homes with additions whose floors slant at a 30 degree angle, causing me instant vertigo (lucille 2!). homes taken off the market just after you put in your offer. homes that look absolutely incredible and are ridiculously priced, but are short sales that take 6+ months to close. it's very exhausting, time-consuming and frustrating. all your weekends are shot and you rarely visit family since you're trying to always be available to view your potential new house.

but finally, over! the close was set for yesterday at 4:00. naturally, 4:00 found us in the lobby of my bank, waiting for a phone call for the amount of the cashier's check we needed to get. the call came through at 4:50 and we headed to the title company where it then took almost 4 hours to sign documents and get through the whole procedure. did i mention i hadn't eaten since 11:00 that afternoon?! we decimated their candy bowl.

once everything was signed, the sellers gave us a bottle of red chilean wine and their forwarding address (only a mile away) in case we needed any help or assistance. so exciting! they're exactly 10 years older than me and ant and as couples, we are very similar - it was great to meet them as they were very cool couple and family!